Modulating the frontier orbitals of L(X)Ga-substituted diphosphenes [L(X)GaP]2 (X = Cl,Br) and their facile oxidation to radical cations |
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| Authors: | Mahendra K. Sharma,Sonia Chabbra,Christoph Wö lper,Hanns M. Weinert,Edward J. Reijerse,Alexander Schnegg,Stephan Schulz |
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| Affiliation: | Institute of Inorganic Chemistry, University of Duisburg-Essen, Universitätsstraße 5-7, D-45141, Essen Germany.; EPR Research Group, Max Planck Institute for Chemical Energy Conversion, Stiftstrasse 34-36, Mülheim an der Ruhr D-45470 Germany ; Center for Nanointegration Duisburg-Essen (CENIDE), University of Duisburg-Essen, Carl-Benz-Straße 199, 47057 Duisburg Germany |
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| Abstract: | Modulating the electronic structures of main group element compounds is crucial to control their chemical reactivity. Herein we report on the synthesis, frontier orbital modulation, and one-electron oxidation of two L(X)Ga-substituted diphosphenes [L(X)GaP]2 (X = Cl 2a, Br 2b; L = HC[C(Me)N(Ar)]2, Ar = 2,6-i-Pr2C6H3). Photolysis of L(Cl)GaPCO 1 gave [L(Cl)GaP]22a, which reacted with Me3SiBr with halide exchange to [L(Br)GaP]22b. Reactions with MeNHC (MeNHC = 1,3,4,5-tetramethylimidazol-2-ylidene) gave the corresponding carbene-coordinated complexes L(X)GaPP(MeNHC)Ga(X)L (X = Cl 3a, Br 3b). DFT calculations revealed that the carbene coordination modulates the frontier orbitals (i.e. HOMO/LUMO) of diphosphenes 2a and 2b, thereby affecting the reactivity of 3a and 3b. In marked contrast to diphosphenes 2a and 2b, the cyclic voltammograms (CVs) of the carbene-coordinated complexes each show one reversible redox event at E1/2 = −0.65 V (3a) and −0.36 V (3b), indicating their one-electron oxidation to the corresponding radical cations as was confirmed by reactions of 3a and 3b with the [FeCp2][B(C6F5)4], yielding the radical cations [L(X)GaPP(MeNHC)Ga(X)L]B(C6F5)4 (X = Cl 4a, Br 4b). The unpaired spin in 4a (79%) and 4b (80%) is mainly located at the carbene-uncoordinated phosphorus atoms as was revealed by DFT calculations and furthermore experimentally proven in reactions with nBu3SnH, yielding the diphosphane cations [L(X)GaPHP(MeNHC)Ga(X)L]B(C6F5)4 (X = Cl 5a, Br 5b). Compounds 2–5 were fully characterized by NMR and IR spectroscopy as well as by single crystal X-ray diffraction (sc-XRD), and compounds 4a and 4b were further studied by EPR spectroscopy, while their bonding nature was investigated by DFT calculations.Carbene-coordination allowed for one-electron oxidation of diphosphenes [LGa(X)P]2 to P-centered radicals cations 4a (X = Cl) and 4b (X = Br), in which the unpaired spin mainly reside at the carbene uncoordinated P-atoms. |
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